A system and method for adjusting behavior of an autonomous wet surface cleaner to avoid, reduce, or remedy situations where too much cleaning fluid is left on the surface. During certain autonomous floor cleaner events excess cleaning fluid can pool beneath the cleaner. For example, a cleaning fluid pool can form as the cleaner slows or stops approaching an obstacle, becomes stuck in a location, or executes certain navigation routines, such as certain turning maneuvers or cleaning patterns. The cleaning fluid pooling can be mitigated by executing a cleaning fluid pooling mitigation strategy that prevents the cleaning fluid from pooling, reduces the amount of cleaning fluid that pools, or addresses the cleaning fluid pooling. The cleaning fluid pool mitigation strategies can include various adjustments to the drive system, dispenser system, recovery system, and other autonomous wet surface cleaner systems, and combinations thereof.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An autonomous wet floor cleaner for wet cleaning an environment, the autonomous wet floor cleaner comprising: a navigation system for autonomously localizing and navigating the autonomous wet floor cleaner about an environment; a drive system for autonomously driving the autonomous wet floor cleaner according to the navigation system; a cleaning fluid dispenser system including a supply tank for cleaning fluid, wherein the cleaning fluid dispenser system is configured to dispense cleaning fluid from the supply tank along a cleaning fluid flow path; a recovery system including a recovery tank for recovering dirty fluid and a suction source in fluid communication with the recovery tank, wherein the suction source is configured to recover dirty fluid into the recovery tank; a controller configured to control the autonomous wet floor cleaner according to a plurality of autonomous wet floor cleaner instructions stored in memory, wherein the controller is configured to identify a cleaning fluid pooling precursor event by analyzing one or more of the plurality of autonomous wet floor cleaner instructions to predict pooling of cleaning fluid and in response control one or more of the drive system, cleaning fluid dispenser system, and the recovery system to mitigate fluid pooling associated with the identified autonomous wet floor cleaner instruction.
2. The autonomous wet floor cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller controls a combination of two or more of the drive system, cleaning fluid dispenser system, and the recovery system to mitigate cleaning fluid pooling.
3. The autonomous wet floor cleaner of claim 1, wherein the plurality of autonomous wet floor cleaner instructions include one or more of: a turn instruction to turn the autonomous wet floor cleaner at an angle, a drive speed reduction instruction, a reverse drive instruction, an escape routine instruction, a shutdown instruction; and wherein the controller identifies the one or more autonomous wet floor cleaner instructions being sufficient to cause a cleaning fluid pool to form.
4. The autonomous wet floor cleaner of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to reduce a cleaning fluid flow rate of the cleaning fluid dispenser system in response to the cleaning fluid pooling precursor event.
5. The autonomous wet floor cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaning fluid dispenser system includes a cleaning fluid pump and the controller is configured to at least one of reduce the cleaning fluid pump rate and halt operation of the cleaning fluid pump in response to the cleaning fluid pooling precursor event.
6. The autonomous wet floor cleaner of claim 1, including a variable speed brush roll and wherein the controller is configured to reduce brush roll speed in response to the cleaning fluid pooling precursor event.
7. The autonomous wet floor cleaner of claim 1, wherein the drive system includes a drive motor and the controller is configured to at least one of reduce drive speed of the drive motor and halt operation of the drive motor in response to the cleaning fluid pooling precursor event.
8. The autonomous wet floor cleaner of claim 1 including a suction source, wherein the controller is configured to at least one of activate and increase suction of the suction source in response to the cleaning fluid pooling precursor event.
9. The autonomous wet floor cleaner of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to initiate a priming sequence for cleaning fluid distribution.
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March 16, 2023
February 25, 2025
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